Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order arising out of question period because of inaccuracies made by the government side regarding my questions in terms of the Gravenhurst centre.

I have the documents here. The government might not be aware of this project that it supported. I would like to table these documents, as well as the Toronto Star article of April 21, 2011, which refers to the police investigation that is ongoing. The documents are here.

Gary GoodyearConservativeMinister of State (Science and Technology) (Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario)

Mr. Speaker, I think the member opposite should stand in his place and apologize. The project in Gravenhurst was funded by FedDev Ontario. It is a conflict between the municipality and the contractor. It is before the courts. This government had nothing--

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, two reports of the Canadian delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly, OSCE PA, respecting its participation at the Trans-Asian Parliamentary Forum held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, from May 14 to 16, 2010, and at the fall meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly held in Palermo, Italy , from October 8 to 11, 2010.

Mr. Speaker, as we all know, nanotechnology presents real opportunities for innovations across all economic sectors that could bring benefits to Canadians, including better health care, a cleaner environment and safer products. Along with these opportunities come potential risks. Nanotechnology creates real health and safety concerns, both for Canadian consumers and workers, as well as important environmental safety concerns.

We have been working for the last few months with grassroots groups and science and environmental experts to address this regulatory gap in Canadian legislation. This bill is a step toward addressing some of these critical shortfalls and ensuring the safe and responsible development of nanotechnology. If passed, the bill would amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act to include nanotechnology. The bill lays out consistent risk assessment processes, prioritizes research on the safety of nanotechnology, and establishes a much needed national inventory of nanotechnologies.

I certainly hope that this legislation will receive broad support in the House of Commons, both on the opposition side and on the government side.

Mr. Speaker, this is a very simple bill, matching the personality and character of the person moving it.

It is simply a repeal of one very small section of the Criminal Code. Its effect would be to allow for sports betting on single sporting events in this country.

This is a very important bill from this perspective. That industry is very big, and it is entirely controlled by organized crime at the present time, both here and in the United States, because it is generally illegal in the United States to bet on one sporting event.

The estimate in the United States is that $30 billion a year is bet on that, all going into the pockets of organized crime and some of it offshore. It is estimated that as much as $2 billion is spent in Canada annually, with all of that money going out of the country to organized crime syndicates in the U.S. and the Caribbean, so it is quite important that we move on this.

The other thing is that there is a national gaming association in Canada. It just completed a study that shows the employment that would be created by making this into a legal business. For instance, in Windsor there will be another 150 jobs either saved or added to the current employment in the Windsor casino. In the riding of the Minister of Justice there is a casino, and a similar number of jobs would either be saved or added. It is job creation.

The Province of Ontario has signalled that it is very interested in placing this operation in the casinos in that province. Other provinces are taking different perspectives on it, but there is widespread support for this bill, and I am seeking support from all members of Parliament when it comes up for second reading.

Mr. Speaker, we all have family members or close friends who unfortunately have cancer or serious injuries that prevent them from earning an income to support their children or who are in very difficult social situations.

I have presented petitions in this House with thousands of signatures. In response to those petitions and the tireless work of Marie-Hélène Dubé, it is time to make two changes to the Employment Insurance Act.

The bill would extend the maximum period for which special benefits for illness, injury or quarantine may be paid from 15 weeks to 50 weeks. More importantly, it would also change the infamous waiting period, which forces individuals to wait two weeks before receiving money.

By resolving this situation, we can provide some relief for these individuals. They are already suffering from their illness; they are already suffering serious social and family problems. It is time for us to fix this for them. Our role as legislators is to improve the quality of life of our constituents.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce an amendment to the Corrections and Conditional Release Act. This amendment will ensure that any monetary amount awarded to an offender pursuant to a legal action or proceeding would be paid to the victims and other designated beneficiaries.

This amendment ensures that victims of crime come first and that criminals do not profit from their crimes. It is another example of this government putting the rights of victims ahead of the rights of criminals.

Correctional Service Canada, CSC, receives thousands of complaints per year from offenders. A small group of convicts accounts for about 15% of the complaints that are filed. My bill seeks to address those inmates who have made a hobby of issuing complaints, who have abused the grievance process and who waste correctional institution resources by filing numerous complaints that are vexatious or frivolous in nature.

The changes contained within this bill transcend all political parties in this House, and I sincerely hope that all members will support it.

Mr. Speaker, as we all know, illness and injury can strike anyone at any time. This year alone, hundreds of thousands of hard-working Canadians will be struck with catastrophic illness or serious physical injuries that prevent them from making a contribution in the workplace and providing for themselves and their families.

The amendment proposed in this bill would extend the eligible period during which workers suffering from serious injury or illness would be able to return to their jobs without fear of losing their positions from 12 weeks to 52 weeks. If passed or adopted by the government, this bill would ensure that Canadians suffering from serious illness or injury would have some peace of mind during their recovery period. It will increase the likelihood that they would be able to rejoin the workforce in the same capacities and positions they held before being forced to leave.

This is the fair and right thing to do. I hope the minister will agree and support this legislation.

Peter Van LoanConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and I would ask for unanimous consent for the following motion:

That, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, on Monday, October 3, 2011, following the tabling of a notice of ways and means motion relating to the second Budget Implementation Bill, the said ways and means motion be deemed moved and a recorded division be deemed demanded and deferred to the expiry of time provided for Government Orders that day.